JNR C11-224, a C11 class 2-6-4T located in Shibetsu city on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, is displayed in a very interesting way, which I thought I would share with the knowledgeable ladies and gentlemen of RYPN.

The link, which I'm sorry to say is in Japanese, shows what a Mr. Shinoda has done to allow this locomotive to creep slowly from its display track to the restored turntable and back. In the coal bunker is a commercially available generator, supplying power to a second-hand motor from a local dairy processing plant that has been mounted between the frames. The motor then turns the (it looks like) two-piece, clamp-on sprocket on the first driving axle through a chain drive.

Granted, this method yields a display piece that can barely propel itself at 3 mph, but it certainly makes for a more interesting display (and a better utilization of the functional turntable) than a completely static display!

https://teketeku-aruki321.at.webry.info/201710/article_5.html

Best of all it doesn't seem to damage the locomotive like some that mount the motor inside the firebox!
Thanks for sending.

I like this idea, but it's too bad that they welded the sprocket to the driver axle. The whole thing reminds me of the G scale display they had at Urtrect, Nederlands 20 years ago. There were three exquisite handcrafted models of early NS power, arranged so you pushed a button next to the display track, and the engine slowly moved onto the table, took a slow spin, and crept back into it's stall. A little kid showed me how to work it...

Reminds me of the mechanism that used to move Baldwin 4-10-2 60000 back and forth on a short section of track at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

Phil Mulligan

I agree, similar to Franklin Institute, and a pleasant exhibit.

60000 is on the same track as it has been since 1934. The rails lead to an outside wall that has clearly been filled in. It's the same track the engine used to come into the building on its own wheels.

Phil Mulligan

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your replies!

While it is indeed slightly regrettable that they had to weld the sprocket to the axle, I would surmise that it is not that difficult to undo. Moreover, 53 of these C11-class 2-6-4Ts still exist in some form or another all over the country. A great many other C11s would come up as candidates before this one would even be considered for a more comprehensive restoration.

Just as background information, 5 of these locomotives are operating in tourist and heritage rail services as of 2021;
JR Hokkaido owns ex-JNR No. C11 171, which tours various locations on the northern island;
Tobu Railway operates ex-JNR Nos. C11 207 and C11 325 in Kinugawa, quite close to the Tokyo metropolitan area. Tobu is also in the midst of a ground-up restoration of another C11, Ewaka Railway No. C11-1 (to be renumbered C11 123 upon its return to service);
Oigawa Railway in Shizuoka prefecture owns and operates ex-JNR Nos. C11 190 and C11 227. C11 227 is especially noteworthy for being the first Japanese steam locomotive to be privately operated in tourist/excursion service, entering service at Oigawa in July 1976, only 3 months after the last JNR steam was retired. Oigawa also operated ex-JNR No. C11 312 from 1987 until its retirement with badly bent and corroded frames in 2007.

By the way, would anyone happen to know if DM&IR Yellowstone No. 227 at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum employs a similar set up to turn its drivers? I have tried to look up how the locomotive is set up, but have not been able to find clear photographs or videos on the topic...

I remember that mechanism being a long screw/worm gear mechanism mid-track under the firebox or the like.......

This video sort of explains it, starting at 3:45, but doesn't show the connection between the motor and axle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhm_61ZMhNM

It would appear that they've got a sprocket that bolts to the outside of the tire, which a roller chain wraps around and is driven by the motor. You can see the detail in the screen capture that I have attached... Compare the left driver (with bolt on sprocket) to the right driver.

Additionally, in the other shot, you can see the roller chains in action. Very hard to tell with poor lighting, but in the video, it is easier to see the roller chain in action.